Advertising device.



J. W. MEVIS.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

' APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19, 1908. 1,078,742. Y Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

e SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I Fig? Fig COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH (10.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

J. W. MBVIS.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED 0017.19, 1908.

1,078,742. Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

6 SHEETSSHEET 3.

won/rm COLUMBIA FLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON. D. c

J/W. MEVIS. Y

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 19, 1908. 1,078,742. Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

, J. W. MBVIS.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 19, 1908.

1,078,742, Patented N0v.-18, 1913.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

Fig.5

J. W. 'MEVIS.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

APPLIUATION rum) 00w. 19, 1908.

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6. v

W W M coLui'ABIA PLANOGRAPII co., \vAsmNuTON. 0. c4

simple and efficient means for causing dis snip s .rornv w. 'MEVIS, or nownLL, MaSSacHcsnrrS.

VADVERT'ISIEG DEVICE. S

Application filed October 19, 1908. Serial No.458/l22.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHNNY. Mensa citizen of the .United States, residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Advertising Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will 10.

enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in display apparatus, and is more particularly concerned with devices for advertising pur poses.

The object of the present invention is the provision of an advertising machine capable ofdisplaying in regular succession a series of advertising cards or forms, and to the end that the machine may have a maximum capacity the invention has in view such an arrangement of the parts that the cards or forms may be compactly stored within the machine after their successive exposure to view through the machine casing, thereby enabling a large number of cards or forms to be employed without undue enlargement of the machine casing, or extensive floor space for accommodating the machine.

The invention further aims to provide play of the cards or forms, which means are of such character as to readily fold within the casing of the machine, thus permitting the cards or forms to be positioned in nested relation within the machine during a determinate period of their transit, relieving the driving mechanism during such period of the propulsive strain, and economizing in the expenditure of power for driving the displaying means.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of an advertising device in which continuous motion is imparted to the cards or forms while the same are being exhibited, thereby presenting to the observer a constantly-changing display offadvertising data.

7 With these general objects in view, and others that will appear as the nature of the improvements is better understood, the in vention consists substantially in the novel construction, combination and arrangement.

offparts hereinafter fully describecl, i llustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims. f

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a front elevation of an advertising'device constructed in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view the front of the casing being removed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, the casing being also removed, viewing the machine from the side thereof at which the motor is located. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the driving mechanism. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the driving mechanism and the connected gearing. Fig. 6 is a sideelevation of one of the combined sprockets and gears employed'for driving the conveyer. Fig. 7 is an elevation similar to Fig. 6, viewing the sprocket and'gear from the reverse side. Fig. 8 is an edge elevation of theconstruction illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7. Fig. 9 is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, of a portion'of the conveyor for the display cards or forms.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the casing of the herein-described device. 'This casing may be formed of any suitable material, and it may have any desired contour or configuration, but is preferably in the form of a rectangular inclosure, being provided at its front and back with openings 2 through which the advertising cards or forms, to be'hereinafter referred to with greater particularity, are exposed to view.

Within the casing 1 is a suitable frame work 3, and upon this frame work is sustained the driving mechanism and other op- I erative parts of the device.

The driving mechanism includes a plurahty of gears, 1llustrated in detail in Fig's. 6, 7 and 8, and .by referring to these figures it will bepbserved that each of the same comprehends a spur gear l with which is snn'r ro.

associated a sprocket 5, and between the gear 4 and sprocket 5 is an annular V- shaped groove 6, the purpose of which will presently appear. Preferably, the gear 4 and the sprocket 5 are formed as an integral structure, but it will be obvious that the same might be separate structures suitably connected together and spaced apart to pro vide the groove 6. The periphery of the gears a and sprockets 5 is provided at intervals with notches 'Z, and the notches 7 of the gears are coincident with the notches of the sprockets i3. The purpose of this will also presently appear. I

A pair of the combined sprockets and gears is arranged at the top of the front and back ofthe machine,-each of these being mounted upon studs 8, andeach of these pairs is carried by a substantially U-shaped frame 9 carried by the frame work 3. Hence it. will be seen that the sprockets and gears of each pair are held in alinement with each other transversely of'themachine, so that the same will rotate in unison. For this purpose a'di iving shaft 10 is journaled in each of the frames 9 below the studs 8, and each of these shafts is pr vided with a pair of pinions 11 that engage idler gears 11, which latter mesh with the gears st immediately thereabove. That the shafts 10 may rotatein unison with each other the ends of said shafts, at one side of the machine, are provided with sprocket wneels 12, said wheels being connected by a sprocket chain 13, and this chain receives its motion from the driving shaft- 10 at the front of the machine, which shaft isprovided at the end thereof opposite to the sprocket 12 with a sprocket wheel let. Connected to the wheel is is a sprocket chain 15, which travels over a sprocket wheel 16 carried by a main driving shaft 17 upon which is mounted a worm wheel 18. This worm wheel is in mesh with aworm 19 that is driven by a motor 20. The latter is preferably an electric motor, but it is perfectly obvious that any other form of motor might be substituted therefor. It will thus be seen that w ien the motor 20 is in operation motion is communicated therefrom through the sprocket wheel 16, chain 15, and sprocket wheel 1% to the driving shaft 10 at the front of the machine, and from the latter to the driving shaft 10 at the back of the machine, and by reason of these shaftsbeing in engagement, through the pinions. 11 and idler gears 11 with the combined sprocket-s and gears, it is also evident that these latter rotate together.

,An endless conveyer 21, through the medium of which the advertising cards or forms are caused to travel through the machine, passes over the combined sprockets and gears, and also travels over a plurality of idler gears 22 ,arrz ngedatthe bottom of the maehine, these gears being mounted upon studs 23. The sprockets 22 are substantially the same as the combined sprockets and gears at the top of the machine, but are not provided with the gear teeth, inasmuch as the sprockets 22 merely support and guidethe conveyer 21 in the movement of the latter at the bottom of the machine,

The conveyor 21, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 9, comprises a plurality of suspending rods 24 spaced sufhci'ently apart to receive an advertising card or form 25, and said cards or formsmay be detachably connected to the rods 24. The rods 2% are connected through the medium of wire links 26 the ends of each of which are coiled in opposite directions in order to provide oppositely projecting eyes 27 which extend in the plane .ofthe conveyer. The eye at one end of each of these links 26 receivesone end of one of the rods 2a, and thus provides a bearing therefor, while the eye at the other an receives a connecting Stud 28, these studs being arranged between the suspending rods 2a in order to impart to the conveyer 21, as an entirety, a greater degree of fiexion, and hence ability to pass over the sprockets and gears, as well as to fold, as will appear hereinafter, to permit storage. of the unexposed cards or forms. The ends of the rods 24, and also the ends of t-hestuds 28 are upset or headed, as at 29, in order to hold the eyes 27 thereon, and said eyes provide bearing surfaces that find lodgment in the notches T of the gears and sprockets l and 5, and likewise the sprockets 22, as they pass thereover, During this passage, however, the links 26 are received by the grooves (5 of the sprockets and gears, so that this engagement provents lateral displacement of the conveyer 21 fromthe sprockets and gears, and iiisures uniform guiding of the conveyer thereover.

At uniform intervals throughout the length of the conveyer 21, say, for example, every fifteenth rod, certain of the rods 2a have their ends prolonged, as at 30, and said prolonged ends, and likewise all of the rods 2 l adjacent to the inner eye 27, are provided with stops 31 by which movement of the eyes 27 longitudinally of the rods at is prevented. a g

The purpose of the prolonged ends 30 of the rods 2 is to cause the cards or forms between the same to become nested in the machine after their exposure at the opening 2 at the front of the machine. To accomplish this end a pair of inclined guides is provided at the upper portion of the machine, and arranged between the gears and sprockets at the front and back thereof. E eh of these guides 32 has a shield 33 associated therewith, which shield is provided with attaching lugs 8% by which the shield is connected to the frame work, and sustained thereby, and the front ends of said guides project in line with the inner edges of the combined sprockets and gears at the front of the machine. The purpose of this is to permit the rods 24 to pass down between said guidesuntil one of the rods which is provided with the prolonged ends meets the forward ends of the guides 32,

7, tinue the downward movement, are caught by the forwardends of the guides 32, and

pass down the latter. By reason of this the conveyer 21 is supported in pendant loops of uniform length by the guides 32, for sub stantially the length 'of'the casing, which loops, however, gradually advance from the front to the rear of the machine, by reason of the inclination of the guides 32-, whence they rise to the top of the machine, and the rods 24 pass over the combined sprockets and gears'at the top of the back of the machine. The nested relation of the cards or forms is clearly illustrated in Fig. 3, and

this nesting provides a maximum storage of the unexhibited cards or forms, so that the number of the cards or forms to be exhibited by the machine may be exceedingly large, giving to the machine capacity for exhibiting these cards or forms in regular succession for a prolonged period before the entire group of the cards or forms is exhausted.

If desired, guards 35 may be employed for the combined sprockets and gears, but this is not essential, V

In the operation of the'hereindescribed machine an advertisement is placed upon each side of each of the cards orforms 25. This advertisement may be the same at both sides or each of the sides may contain a different advertisement. inasmuch as the cards or forms are suspended from the rods 24, it isobvious that the saine will always hang in a vertical position, and as the cards or forms pass the openings 2 of the casing 1 the advertising matter at the sides of the cards or forms will be successively displayed. Observers, therefore, viewing the machine from either the front or back there of, will have presented to them the advertising matter at the sides of the cards or forms, so that in approaching the machine from either direction the same will effectually exhibit the advertisements thereof. As the motor 20 operates it propels the conveyer 21, causing the latter to move in an upward direction at the front of themachine. These cards or forms at the front of the machine pass over the sprockets and gears at the top of the front of the machine, but remain in vertical position, as previously stated, the cards or forms passing be tween the sprockets and gears, and descend ing at the rear edges thereof. In this dethe length of the guides 32 thefcards or and again ascend at the front of the machine to be. again exposed to. view at the latter point. This movement of the con veyer continues so long as the motor 20 is in operation. In passing over the sprockets and gears the rods 24:, being seated in the recesses 7, and the links 26 being seated in the grooves 6, liability to displacement of the conveyer is wholly eliminated, so that uniform movement of the conveyer is'assured.

If desired, pictorial post cards, photographs, or other matter may also be associated with the advertisements, and as the latter are successively exposed to View, this additional data willalso be seen.

Having thus described the invention,what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the class described, a frame, wheels journaled in said frame and provided with peripheral grooves and transverse notches, an endless conveyer for displaying the matter to be exhibited, said conveyer being formed of a plurality of suspending rods and links connecting said rods, said links having oppositelyprojecting eyes extending in the plane of the conveyer for receiving said suspending rods and to provide bearings therefor, the rods and links being received by the notches and grooves, respectively, of said wheels duringthe operation of said conveyer, and means for actuating said conveyer.

2.111 a device-of the class described, a frame, wheels journaled in said frame ad jacent to its upper portion and at the front and back thereof, each of said wheels being provided with a peripheral groove and transverse notches, said wheels being arranged in pairs at the front and back of said frame, a driving shaft associatedwith each pair of said wheels and geared thereto, connections between said shafts for actuating the latter in unison, driving means connected to one of said shafts, an endless conveyer for displaying the matter to be exhibited, said conveyer being formed of a plurality of suspending rods and links con necting said rods, the rods and links being received by the notches and grooves, respectively, of said wheels during the operation of said conveyer, and inclined guides arranged at the upper portion of said frame, one end of said guides being positioned in immediate proximity to the wheels at one side of the casing, whereby to receive cer- ,sziid wheels to loop the conveyr during its tain of the suspending rods as they leave In testimbny whereof I ziflix my signilture;

in the presence of tW6 Witnesses.

transit through the csing, the other ends of v 4 Sand guldes belng arranged 1n a lower plane JOHN MDVIS than the afe resald ends to cause the looped portions of the conveyer t'd gravltate up'o'n smd guldes. 1

Witnesses: V

GEORGE W. CONANT5 HARRY W. KNOWLTON;

Cdpie of this patent ihay he ohtaineh for five ents 'ch, hy diiiss ing the Gdhiihissioheiof I Eate'ht,

Wshiiitgtoh, 15; C. 

